My spies in the Ukhsss system have also discovered another visible warp beacon leading to a star system unknown to humanity. Based on the fragmentary information the Swarm has provided us, that is precisely where the Aliens are coming from. The main goal of this attack, then, is to invade Alien space, and get as far behind enemy lines as possible, doing as much damage as we can along the way. The fleet will destroy enemy infrastructure, docks, communications centers, terrestrial buildings and everything that could get in the way of eventual capture by landing troops. Now, obviously, the enemy will not let us run roughshod over their systems unpunished. The enemy's main forces, as far as I understand the situation, are currently gathered in the Himora system. They have their Queen, five Mammoths and several hundred Behemoths there. My cloaked scouts have been observing them nonstop. The Alien fleet leaving Himora will serve as a signal that the enemy has been alerted to what is happening in its base and is coming to punish us for our insolence."
"It's not a bad plan, but we'll have to make sure the fleet can get back to Swarm space fast enough," Bionica interrupted, translating a huge matte-black Alpha Iseyek's chirping.
I took a closer look at this praying mantis, who'd had the gall to interrupt my speech.
Masss Azhzh, Five Star Admiral of the Iseyek State Star Fleet
Race: Alpha Iseyek
Gender: Male, first clutch
Class: Swarm Soldier
Achievements: Human Executioner, Skull Collector, Duelist, Trusted by Queen
Fame: +8
Standing: + 2
Presumed personal relationship: Unknown
"Admiral, if I was planning to simply flee from the Aliens, the Unatari Fleet would be enough, and I wouldn't be looking for help from my neighbors. No, I am preparing to stay and face the Alien Queen in combat, and destroy her once and for all."
The praying mantis walked up closer, stood up to his full ten-feet of height and loomed over me, giving an abrupt chirp. Bionica translated obligingly:
"He says that this is insanity. The plan is quite risky on its own, but the risk looks justified as the Swarm systems can be liberated. Going on to Alien space is a slightly more dangerous undertaking, but it will allow us to weaken the enemy somewhat. A major battle, though, with an enemy surpassing us in firepower is simply crossing the line of what can reasonably be risked. We have no way of destroying the Aliens' largest ships, so the battle is certain to be lost."
"I have already come up against this enemy armada on two occasions, and both times I seriously reduced the number of ships in the Alien Queen's fleet. The last time, in the Hnelle system, I didn't even have any ships larger than light cruisers, but we forced the enemy to retreat from the star system. So, admiral, I do not understand why you consider losing inevitable."
Bionica translated the answer:
"All our past encounters with the Aliens show that the battle will be lost. The risk is too high. The Swarm will lose its only protection and will be destroyed. That's why the admiral will never agree to send Swarm ships on such a hopeless endeavor."
"Well, how do you expect to win if you're constantly on the run from the enemy?!" I raised my voice, and my opponent even took a step backward. "I have fought in many battles with the Aliens, some where my disadvantage was much more pronounced, but I have never been defeated! There's no exceptional risk here. I know how to destroy all the minor Alien ships, how to take down a cruiser, and how to blow up Behemoths. The others, the Mammoths and Queen are motherships, and without their drones and small ships, they will become toothless and vulnerable. If the Swarm gives me their starships, there would be a good chance of achieving a decisive victory!"
My opponent, though, just kept harping on about the excessive risk, expounding on his own arguments. Finally, the Swarm Queen got sick of hearing our debate, and put an end to it:
"You are both renowned fleet commanders, but your dispute cannot continue. The united armada will have to have only one individual at its head, and it is his strategies and view on the situation that will dictate its actions. Only then will I agree to give you Swarm ships, as it would be utterly unthinkable to have our command be divided in such dire circumstance."
"Yes, that is a fair demand," I agreed.
The black Alpha Iseyek stopped demonstrating his warlike nature and bowed before Nai Igir in a sign of concession.
"But who then, does my Queen see as the sole commander?" Triasss Zess asked Nai Igir, coming closer and looking at me and the huge five-star admiral. "The ruler of Unatari? The senior Swarm admiral? Or, perhaps, someone else?"
The Queen kept silent for a long time, then addressed me:
"Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky, the Iseyek nation has an ancient custom for choosing a military leader. We hold a ritual duel between the candidates. They are also allowed to appoint someone to fight in their name. Whichever candidate emerges victorious becomes leader, and the loser tacitly agrees to obey the winner in all matters. But I do not know how acceptable that method would be to a human."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose in thought. Of course, I personally had no chance in hand-to-hand combat against a huge Alpha Iseyek. Triasss Zess had demonstrated that clearly to me once before. But in my group, there were skilled bodyguards, including Phobos and the Chameleons, who weren't at all bothered by the elevated gravity. Also, I shouldn’t count the very dangerous Truth Seeker out either. As if reading my thoughts, Popori de Cacha appeared before me:
"Tuki-tuka-de-sa, I would be capable of defeating the five-star admiral. I have lots of experience in no-rules fighting, including a fair number of duels against Alpha Iseyek. I know the praying mantis's weak points, and effective tactics to use against them."
"Master, I am easily stronger than this Iseyek," Phobos said, sizing up the five-star admiral. "I am from a more modern genetic line, so I'm larger, faster, and more deadly."
Marian Sabati said nothing but, even without the Truth Seeker, I had a soldier for the ritual duel. And so I decided:
"Queen, we humans are familiar with the custom of the ritual duel, and I am prepared to accept, but I would like to make sure of the rules before I do so."
Nai Igir looked at me with her huge eyes, and I saw my own reflection clearly repeated hundreds of times in her compound eyes.
"Crown Prince Georg, the rules of ritual duel are simple. Combat can only be done with the appendages and blades. No long-distance weaponry or poisons allowed. The two sides agree beforehand if the duel is to the death, to the first wound, or to the obvious advantage of one fighter. A candidate can fight on their own behalf, or appoint someone else to fight in their place. If you cannot find a strong enough representative, you are free to choose any of the Iseyek in this room."
"Your conditions are perfectly acceptable to me. I agree to ritual duel!" I declared.
Five-star Admiral Mass Azhzh gave a human-like bow and a chirrup.
"He is appointing someone to fight in his place," Bionica translated the insect's trill. "The five-star admiral chooses the Alpha-Iseyek head of the Swarm Queen's bodyguard, Rosss."
I looked all around, trying to find my rival's soldier. But until Rosss came three steps from me, I had no idea that there was even anyone there. His body looked like nothing but empty space. He was... made of glass or, rather, transparent! When the insect faded away again, I immediately lost sight of him. Was that even an Alpha Iseyek?
I must have asked that question out loud, as Triasss Zess hurried to answer:
"Yes, he is an Alpha Iseyek from an artificially propagated genetic line. Hard to see, shorter than average, but almost three times wider and stronger than a normal praying mantis. He is distinguished by his superfast reaction time, and movement speed. His intelligence gene is turned on, he is capable of making decisions independently, and he learns quickly. These individuals were created as saboteurs and bodyguards, but they never became very numerous, as the transparency gene is recessive, and we weren't able to reproduce it reliably. His shell is a bit thinner th
an that of a landing soldier or heavy infantry soldier's but, his body is able to heal open wounds instantly. Another special feature of this line is its eyes. It uses many different types of vision, which allows it to detect invisible beings such as your bodyguard."
I noticed, after these words, that Popori de Cacha went into thinking mode, trying to invent a combat strategy to use against an aggressive, armed creature that could see camouflaged Chameleons. Phobos also grew visibly gloomy and drew his arms into his shell, practically even pulling his eyes in. I, though, on the other hand, grew inspired and took a walk around the nearly invisible creature standing at attention.
"What a fascinating specimen! I mean, honestly, this is the first time I've ever seen such an unusual Iseyek. Queen, could I ask you for one of these if my soldier wins the duel?"
"Crown Prince, you can have Rosss himself if he loses and remains alive," Nai Igir promised. "I have no need for weak bodyguards, so I'll get rid of him anyway if he loses. Now then, who will be your soldier in the ritual duel?"
I turned to Marian Sabati, but the Truth Seeker just lowered her eyes.
"Georg, I haven't yet restored my powers sufficiently. Also, this individual has a very strong mental block, as well as nerve bundles that can control each appendage independently. Even if I burn his brain cells, he can keep fighting, and will kill me. Even Miya couldn't win here."
I didn't get upset, as I had already realized I wouldn't be able to win the ritual duel by taking the mission "head-on." Something Miya once told me came to mind at the best possible moment: " The biggest mistake one can make when dealing with Iseyek is to begin measuring one’s self against the Swarm in brute force. That is sure to end in failure."
"My dear Nai Igir, I have decided that this fight shall be to the death, and I am prepared to name my soldier for the upcoming duel. The rules you established allow me to name any Iseyek in this room my soldier. So I choose you, the Swarm Queen!"
In the dead silence that came over the room after my words, a bit of measured clapping rang out. It was Marian Sabati. She approved of my choice. The barely visible Rosss, two steps from me, fell to the floor, pressing his deadly upper appendages under himself, signifying that he was refusing to duel. Laws that had been pounded into his subconscious forbid any Iseyek from even thinking of doing harm to the Swarm Queen.
The five-star admiral turned toward me and, with a slight bow, chirped out something that was immediately translated by my android:
"I admit defeat, Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, though I am not sure the rules of ritual combat technically allow the Swarm Queen to be chosen."
I smiled and, while the shock of those gathered at my choice had yet to fade, I tried to build on my success:
"I could have named Ambassador Triasss Zess or any of the Swarm Princesses, the result would have been the same. No Iseyek has the right to harm them. My other idea was to appoint you, five-star admiral, as my soldier for this fight. You also would have been a good candidate, given that you qualify as 'any Iseyek in this room.' If you had been able to take down Rosss, I would have won in the ritual duel. But if you had lost in a battle to the death, then... I still would have won, as I would now have been the only remaining contender. But, in the end, I decided that the Swarm would be better off not losing a commander as talented as yourself, so I chose the Queen instead."
Standing change. Iseyek race opinion of you has improved.
Alpha Iseyek race opinion of you: +39 (respect)
Iseyek Prime race opinion of you: +22 (favorable)
Achievement unlocked: Dekeye no-rules fighting champion
Global fame increase. Current value +59
Just then, Nai Igir finally came back to her senses, and confirmed that my choice was in fact within the rules, though it would make sense to add some more rules to ritual duels for the future. After that, the Swarm Queen officially declared me commander of the united fleet of the Swarm and Unatari for the whole length of the operation against the Aliens.
Global fame increase. Current value +60
Title unlocked: Five-Star Swarm Admiral
Standing change. Masss Azhzh's opinion of you has improved.
Presumed personal opinion of you: +100 (completely trusting)
The ten-foot-high black praying mantis gave a deep bow before me, and chirped out a long message. Bionica translated readily:
"Five-Star Admiral Georg, you shall now have: The fully restored Diho reconnaissance squad, composed of three hundred light ships; the Ayho assault fleet, with its five hundred ships currently stationed in the Sivalla system, including eleven landing Trias; the heavy Virho fleet, here in the Dekeye capital system, composed of seven hundred ships, including twelve Meresh battleships; the Yuho reserve fleet, in the Arite system, with one hundred fifty starships of Arite Iseyek production; and the Yayho border fleet, currently concentrated along the border with the Aliens and your Unatari State."
"Excellent," I said, weary. "I will hold a council with the other Swarm fleet commanders on the topic of preparing for a counter attack tomorrow on board one of the Meresh battleships. As far as I understand, all of them should be able to reach Dekeye in one day, except the Yuho fleet commander. He should stay in the Arite system. I have a special mission for him. Other than that, I ask that Ambassador Triasss Zess be present at Admiral Masss Azhzh's meeting and, also by that time, I want the rehabilitated Kheraisss Vej, and my former associate General Savasss Jach. And now, Queen Nai Igir and everyone present, allow me to bow out and go back into Dekeye orbit. I'm having a really hard time with elevated gravitation on this planet."
Mechanoids
I was lying face down on a stiff cot. The only clothes I was still wearing was a thin pair of long underwear. My artificial assistant was sitting on my back with her uniform sleeves rolled up, and was kneading my back with her surprisingly strong mechanical fingers.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Likanna, wearing a beige-white bathrobe after taking a shower, entered my cabin and stopped in indecision.
"Don't worry. You can come in. Bionica's just giving my tired back a massage. With my weight, spending an hour and a half in elevated gravity is very hard on the spine."
The girl walked into the cabin and hoisted herself up onto a wide, spinning stool in front of a large data screen. She ambivalently slid her gaze over the tables and graphs on the monitor, gave her chair a couple of spins and turned to me.
"Dad, my friends and I rock-paper-scissors-ed for star systems. I got Yal."
"Not a bad system. It has a population of eleven billion. There is a huge insect megalopolis spread out over the whole continental part. You're lucky, Lika. The other Swarm Princesses are starting out from much worse positions."
Likanna smiled in satisfaction, then admitted honestly:
"Dad, I don't even know where to start."
"You're not the only one," I said, reassuring her. "For eight months, the four Iseyek-populated systems were hanging over my head like a dead weight, and I also had no idea what to do with them. And now, I've given three of them to the Swarm Princesses. Only the Fia system remains with me. But, I feel that I'll have to really dive into it in order not to fall-face first into mud before you little Crown Princesses."
Lika clearly stiffened up and said in dismay:
"But, dad, don't try too hard! I want to win the competition and get the special title."
I smiled to my daughter, but didn't rush to answer, as a message had just come in from the captain of Warhawk-4, saying that the head of the Purple House, Duke Takuro royl Andor would like to speak with me. Likanna must have been embarrassed at her bath robe and uncombed hair, so she nimbly rolled her chair into the corner of the room where the camera couldn't see her. Bionica also leapt into action, jumping up from the cot, and offering to help me put on my ceremonial uniform quickly. But I stopped her:
"It doesn't need to be too official. Duke Takuro and I have become fairly close acquaintances. For our last meeting, I was
sitting in a hospital bed. So I won't be standing up, all the more so given how bad my back hurts. Put him through."
The screen lit up. The man, in full accordance with Murphy's law, was in the full ceremonial attire of an Imperial Duke. I saw the old man's brows shoot upward when he saw me in my skivvies.
"I beg your apologies for my appearance, Duke Takuro. It's my turn to be unwell this time. My back didn't hold up to the high gravity here, and I'm having a hard time getting it back into the right shape. Your long distance call caught me, as it were, in the middle of a massage, and I decided it would be rude to keep a man as respected as you waiting."
"There's no need to explain yourself, Georg. Feeling bad is nothing to be ashamed of. We aren't young anymore and body troubles are to be expected. Sometimes, I get such bad radiculitis that the best doctors in the Empire can't help. But I wanted to talk with you about some more pleasant matters. Half an hour ago, my granddaughter Joan called her parents, calmed them down and told them where she was. And lo and behold, our Crown Princess was part of the first human delegation to visit the capital of the intelligent insects! Now, the Purple House is like a shook-up bee hive. All our news channels are showing Crown Princess Joan royl Reyekh ton Andor's visit to the Iseyeks. The only things getting any coverage now is that and the contest that put her in control of the Oort system. Even my son and I are getting congratulations. Joan herself, though, will have a triumphal reception when she returns. But, Georg, tell me more about this competition between the Crown Princesses. What exactly is it?"
I gave Duke Takuro a fairly detailed explanation of the conditions the Swarm Queen and I had agreed upon:
"If one of the Swarm Princesses is able to rule an Iseyek-inhabited planet competently, she will receive it in perpetuity. The best of the three Crown Princesses will receive the unique title Swarm Duchess as well. Sure, it may be just a title without much meaning now but, in the future, that could all change drastically. Humanity and the Swarm will still have to co-exist one way or another, and it’s hard to say what could become of our peaceful neighborly relationship. Some of the Iseyek, those capable of thinking independently, already want to assimilate into human society. Meanwhile, at negotiations last year, the option of a joint government of humans and Iseyek with two co-rulers, one of each race was also mentioned. To that end, it is very possible that the Swarm Duchess, who would already have the right to vote in the Swarm, could become a key figure in space politics in the future."
New Contract (Perimeter Defense Book #3) Page 25